The world is just a stage
by Hweianime
Summary: What if Katekyo Hitman Reborn is a tv show? A very popular one at that. What if Tsuna was an actor, Reborn was a writer slash director and Xanxus- Xanxus is still part of the mafia? But don't worry, there is just enough drama, if not more, behind the scenes as on stage. All27, X27, minorR27, ColR, ActorAU


**Hi hi~~**

 **Ok, so this had to be done. HAD TO BE DAMMIT. **

**Someone actually has to stop me. I literally need to update my other fics I am so behind and yet again I have made another one. Frack. I need to auction off my ideas if this keeps up- or maybe make one shots but honestly those are usually quite hard to think of. Not that other updates aren't. Urgh.**

 **Anyway for this fic it was originally meant to be just simple All27 but now mid way through writing this I gotten sOoOooo taken with an X27 spin onto this. What can I say? I am a sucker for Xanxus~**

 **Tsuna is like 21 or something, maybe. Early to mid twenties.**

 **The guardians are probs around 17 ish (Yamamoto might be around Tsuna's age and Lambo will probs still be five, Lampo will def be present but unsure of other 1st Gen)**

 **Tell me what you think ;D**

 **Enjoy~~**

* * *

 _ **Season 1 Episode 25**_

* * *

"R-Reborn! Gokudera-kun's been-"

The silver haired teen turned to him, a creepy smile on his face that just didn't look right on his features. The rotten wood smashed behind from the silverette's failed attempt to murder him. "Oh? So it wasn't just luck." Looking closely the teen's right eye held an all too familiar red iris. "You know you're the first person to realise that I've possessed someone after one glance."

Gokudera's face twisted into an evil smirk. "You are an amusing one after all."

Honey brown eyes widened in fear, looking up confused and scared at his now clearly possessed friend. "No way- what is going on?" He asked, looking over to the baby hit man next to him for guidance.

" _And…_ **_CUT!_** "

A loud beep was heard on the set, Tsuna cringed slightly at the sudden noise. He never will get used to that thing.

 _"Great work for today! That's a wrap!"_

With a soft grimace the brunette pulled himself up, dusting off the dirt on his clothes. His limbs aching from his constant, unpleasant meetings with the ground. Honestly Tsuna was sure that he'd so thoroughly explored the floor with his body from the amount of trips and fighting scenes that he would be obligated to ask the floor out for dinner.

Almost immediately his silver haired coworker was at his side looking worriedly at him.

"Tsuna-sama are you okay? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry! I hate that I even have to pretend to be possessed by that perverted pineapple bastard but-" The taller male's words were silenced by a slender finger pressed on his lips. Tsuna gave a reassuring soft smile. The silver haired male went crimson and immediately his mouth snapped shut. _Ah_ , Tsuna loved when things went his way with little fuss.

"Gokudera-kun I'm fine. Thank you for your kind worry but there is nothing to feel guilty about." The brunette tilted his head to the side endearingly, wide caramel eyes gazing bashfully up into emerald ones and smile widened ever so slightly. "Ne?"

His silver haired co-worker made a strangled gurgling sound before flushing even redder and nodding.

"Oya oya," An indigo haired male whose hair was rather.. Uniquely shaped, walked up to them. A vein of annoyance throbbing on his forehead. "Who's a perverted pineapple bastard?"

Gokudera's face quickly shifted to a tense snarl. "Isn't it obvious you damn fruit head?!"

As the two descended into another quarrel (something that had grown to be a common event between many of the actors in this set), Tsuna just chuckled softly. How cute the newbies were. Cute and utterly terrifying. Like chihuahuas.

Taking a bottle of water an intern had handed to him, the brunette took a swig of the drink and walked toward his dressing room. All the staff and workers alike still couldn't help but stop and stare and gush as the young adult passed them, even after months of shooting. Who could blame them? Everyone knew who Tsunayoshi was.

After all Sawada Tsunayoshi was an international _superstar._

Ever since he first debuted at the tender age of 13 in the movie Firestarter where he played the protagonist's younger brother and in a brilliant plot twist at the very end had revealed himself as the true antagonist, anybody who watched the film had been completely captivated with the young teen's fantastic skills. Any critics who claimed this to be a fluke, simply just a boy who got lucky and would probably be forever living under the shadow of this one success were quickly silenced as movie after movie Tsunayoshi had again defied and exceeded all expectations.

Gripping suspense films like Firestarter and action packed movies like Sky's the Limit were where the teen had spent most of his acting career in. But he also acted in comedies, romances, tragedies, science fiction- each movie has always created a buzz to the public and almost always resulted in the film or him getting nominated (if not awarded) for many trophies.

But it wasn't only the movie business that couldn't stop talking about the talented teen. For a brief period Tsunayoshi had even tried his hand in the Music industry, he and three other men had formed the boy band DAME- which had produced songs that still today are considered vastly popular. And the brunette had gotten and taken numerous offerings from many large businesses and names to model.

Not only was the brunette just talented, he was talented in every sense of the word. A snarky sense of humor, a kind yet firm personality and charisma in waves. Almost everyone loved him. And if not loved than goddamn adored was the next closest thing.

His managers, the public, his fellow coworkers. Even the press.

And the press _hates everyone._

Okay so maybe there were some exaggerations there. It wasn't that he _didn't_ have any jealous coworkers _or_ critics _or_ met clashing personalities before. It wasn't _not_ that Tsunayoshi also didn't have his fair share of scandals. There was a fairly large and memorable one when he, rather casually, answered he was attracted by both the fairer and not-so-fairer sexes during an interview. That, in hindsight was probably a mistake. Not a big one. Just very headache inducing. There was a whole fit from all the news and magazines and social media not to mention onslaught of stalkers. But as his managers say- any press is good press.

To be fair his managers were money hungry wolves who weren't the ones who had to actually deal with the aftermath of the mess, so they could shove their 'good press' up where the sun don't shine.

...

The moment he closed the door to his room, only then did Tsuna allow himself the privilege to give a rather tired, loud sigh as he slumped against the door. Really, it was absolutely suffocating, his work sometimes.

"Don't sigh like that Dame-Tsuna it's unbecoming."

 _"HIIIEE?!"_ The brunette jumped and his eyes opened to see a certain incredibly handsome fedora wearing male sitting in his chair. "Renato! Why do you keep doing that?!" Tsuna asked in a mix of whiny irritation that barely masked the exasperated fondness he held for the man.

Renato Sinclair; award-winning director, writer, number one most eligible bachelor (Tsuna was third by the way), A-class god complex and all round asshole simply smirked as he sipped a cup of freshly brewed espresso that Tsuna _swore_ wasn't there before. Then he answered, "Because I can."

The brunette rolled his eyes.

"No really, why are you here though?"

"Who says I'm not here for the company?"

"More like the pleasure of dwelling over our past and the trauma that came hand in hand with it." The brunette muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Renato gave a hard, but affectionate all the same, whack on the back of the actor's head. As the brunette pouted the older of the two let out a rumbling chuckle and Tsuna couldn't help but soon respond in kind. It was nice. Felt a little like the old times, when Renato was just a rich boy college student who did home tutoring on the side and secretly loved to write while Tsuna was just a lonely bullied kid who had a penchant for pretending everything was all right.

Finally as their laughter desisted into nothing but smiles and the occasional soft titter of amusement did Tsuna repeat his question. "Now seriously, I know when you come for some time to relax, this is for business isn't it?"

The suited male sighed. "Sometimes I truly regret helping you hone that damn intuition of yours."

Tsuna let a smug smirk adorn his lips. He was rather proud of that little 'talent' he had. A 'talent' that could occasionally one up the great Renato Sinclair, or as he liked to call himself, Reborn. It was extremely useful in the star-studded world full of empty promises and even emptier people. Not to mention the intuition was especially useful when choosing his next role- he'd never acted in a terrible to the point of god awful movie once. Of course he just told everyone it was just luck. Only a select few knew better.

"You're not answering the question." He responded in a slight sing song voice. The raven haired male scowled but the usual irritation he held for everyone wasn't there.

"Fine- I've written the script for the second season of Katekyo Hitman Reborn."

Tsuna giggled at the title. Really, only Renato could be arrogant and talented enough to write a show that was so blatantly about himself and get away with it. The infant version of Reborn had been created by only the best computer artists and animators, overseen by the man himself for god's sakes! Not to mention the ability to practically write the whole plot on the fly- the producers were not happy but the profit was more than enough to appease them. Quickly he schooled his features when he noticed then rather serious expression on the older man's face.

"What's the problem then? It couldn't possibly be to do with your story or you wouldn't need to go round circles for me unless.. Oh _my god_ what have you _done_ Renato?"

"I.." The fact the male actually showed a flicker of sheepish guilt made the famed actor's blood go all kinds of cold. Ranging from ice to the freaking arctic. "I may have got a _little_ ahead of myself whilst writing this."

"A _little?_ "

"A lot."

"Fuck."

As amazing and beautiful with words the fedora wearing male was, there was a reason why many were feared and wary of the name Reborn. And this is despite his haughty, sadistic personality. Reborn was eccentric to say the least, to the point his eccentricities show through his writing methods. In short- a complete nightmare for directors, producers, actors and all jobs related to deal with.

Sometimes he would change a whole arc that the crew had been mid way through filming or drop a key actress because he 'wasn't feeling it anymore' and all at a drop of a button. To deal with Reborn you need more flexibility than a Chinese acrobat and enough patience to walk on water. Luckily for Tsuna he had managed to survive near everything thrown at him as a result of years of being the man's friend and had managed to somehow join Reborn's close and limited circle of trustworthy friends, earning him the 'right' to call him Renato.

The brunette would have been absurdly pleased if that didn't mean he was still on the same level as the man's pet chameleon, Leon.

Still, times like these did not make it any less easier to not throttle the taller suited man to death. The fact said man could easily push him over, snap his neck and holds hidden weapons in his clothing (the brunette still strongly believes that Reborn is magic in some sort of form) however did.

"So where do I play into this?" Tsuna asked warily. Reborn smiled, it was not a reassuring one. That was okay. Tsuna knew him too well that he wasn't going to be assured either way.

"You know how you did _such_ a good job on finding your guardians?"

The brunette grit his teeth. He had a very worryingly good idea what was going to happen to him in the near future now. After all Katekyo Hitman Reborn was originally just meant to be set very similarly like their own past; Tsuna being a Dame child, Reborn popping in and turning his life upside down, there had been no 'others', no 'friends', no 'Guardians'. That was just a sudden bolt of inspiration on Renato's part and had consumed four whole months of Tsuna's life.

"You mean how I almost _died_ in an explosion, jumped off a building, got drugged via inhaling chemical smoke from a purple bazooka, joined a boxing club, got 'bitten to death' multiple times and then stabbed by a trident?"

" ** _Such_** a good job."

"I think I hate you."

Renato flashed that award winning smile, with a hint of predatory amusement that only a certain few can pick up on. Tsuna just glared. After staring each other down for a minute or two the brunette finally, albeit very reluctantly conceded defeat. With a sigh the actor let himself drop to the floor and settle himself comfortably on the carpeting.

"So, what characters are we talking here? Am I scouting for raw talent- oh who are we kidding- if you had your eye on an actor then we would be done already, of course I'm going to have to look for potentials and uncut diamonds."

Tsuna made an undignified squawking noise as a heavy file of notes, plots and character profiles was thrown in his face. The brunette resolved this television series was going to be his first and last one he does if it meant he had to deal with this every season. Peeling the offending file off his face he read the name scrawled in bold, intimidating letters on the front.

 **VARIA: THE ELITE INDEPENDENT ASSASSINATION SQUAD**

* * *

 _3 years and eight seasons later_

* * *

The masses and the public could do nothing but watch horrified, _terrified_ and in a sick twisted sort of fascination as the hopeless figure of one Sawada Tsunayoshi, bruised and tired and worn looked back at them on the screen. This wasn't a show, a movie, this wasn't some sort of macabre script or snuff film. This was all devastatingly, painfully real. And it was happening right now.

It was on every electronic screen possible. Children were crying, the media in a frenzy and the police even more so.

 **"Any last words?"** A disturbingly emotionless, machine-like voice asked.

The brunette looked at the camera, caramel brown eyes staring into the screen, to the people. Exhausted, resigned but there was still something there. A flicker, a tiny little fire in those near listless orbs. A flame that told everyone that he may be beaten, he may have suffered but he was not _defeated._ If he met his end today no one would say it was not with dignity and pride.

"The world is just a stage. We are all actors in one way or another, we lie, we pretend, we become people we are not."

He should've looked weak and broken but Tsuna seemed strong, so, _so_ heartbreakingly strong despite everything. The fire, that pride in his eyes had made the young adult looked beautiful, under the dim lighting of his captivity it was absolutely ethereal, unworldly. No one could tear there eyes from the screen. And when tears started to form in the brunette's eyes they too began to subconsciously mirror the action.

"But there are always people who help bring out the truth in ourselves. People who bring out both the worst and best, and as exposing, as terrifying the feeling is," he gave a long shuddering breath, it was evident through the high definition camera, that tears had begun to fall from the brunette's eyes. In the outside world there was only silence, not even the sound of traffic was to be heard as all focus was on the screens. "I want to say thank you to these people. Because despite everything, I love you. All of you."

"As I said before, the world is just a stage..."

Then Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled. It was a smile of many things, many emotions; sadness, regret, wistfulness yet it was still a warm, accepting smile that made the public's heart flutter and twist and do so many things that it felt like the tears streaming from their faces _just wasn't_ a good enough way to express what they were feeling.

"...And now I guess it's finally my time to make an exit."

 ***BANG***


End file.
